Fact Sheet
3
Australian magpies: what’s in a name?
Animal names often refer to a feature of their appearance or behaviour, or
a similarity with another animal. Australian magpies have been known by
many names and their naming has revolved around these attributes.
Before European settlement of Australia there were over 250 Indigenous
Australian languages and it is likely that each of these had a name for
the magpie. For example, the Kaurna people, who traditionally inhabited
areas around Adelaide, call them “kurraka”. This name was probably
derived from the song of the magpie.
Since European settlement the common name, “magpie” has been used
because these birds have similar colouration to the European magpie,
but they are not closely related. Another common name still used for the
Australian magpie is the “piping shrike”. In fact, South Australia’s state
badge includes a magpie that is described as a piping shrike. Other
common names have included “piping roller” and “flute-bird”.
Photo: Michael Artis
Scientists use a “binomial” system to name animals (and other forms of
life). Under this system each species has a name with two words. The
first word refers to the “genus” which may include a number of animals
with similar characteristics. The second word refers to the “species”
and is meant to be distinct for each species. These names are typically
written in italics (or underlined when handwriting) and the genus name is
capitalised.
The Australian magpie was first described scientifically in 1802 by John
Latham. The species name “tibicen” is a Latin word that means “piper” or
“flute player”, and it has been used to describe the birds’ delightful song.
For some time the binomial name Gymnorhina tibicen has been used.
This name determines that Australian magpies comprise their own genus
and species. However, they are closely related to butcherbirds, and many
authors believe they belong in the butcherbird genus, Cracticus, and thus
they are now sometimes referred to as Cracticus tibicen.
Photo: Michaela Heinsen
The many names that have been used to describe Australian magpies can
be confusing. Names have been chosen to describe the bird according
to its most striking attributes (its colouration and its singing) or to group it
with birds with characteristics that are similar. Clearly, there is more to the
name than the name alone!